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Friday, January 28, 2011

TOS Crew: Ten Marks

We have come to the dreaded subject once again. I fear that I may have instilled the same disdain I have for math onto my children. Or wait, perhaps it is because, they just have the same disdain as I do.

Over the years I have searched for the curriculum that will make the difference in their life in the area of math. In all honesty, I do not believe that I have passed along my disdain.. however, I do not believe they have a natural ability in math. So, it has been critical in our career that we find programs that will assist them in ways that I am not able.

Now enter in Ten Marks, we were chosen to review Ten marks as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. We were allowed to set up two accounts. So I chose two of my children, and we were off...

Now, let's start with the preliminaries, what is Ten Marks..

Ten Marks is an online Math program geared for children from the Third grade through the 10th grade. The program is designed to match state standards. You can even choose which state you are from, in order to match your states standard to the work your child is doing.

Within the program there are videos and hints that your child can click on that will help teach them the concept that they are learning. The program also 'senses' whether or not your child has mastered the concept. So their experience with Ten Marks will be tailored for them.

Okay, now how does this translate into the actual usage. I used the program with 2 of my students. I must admit, with one of them, it was very difficult to get him going with the program. His attitude toward math is not the greatest, and the level I had initially picked for him, I believe was a little too high for him. Now, within Ten Marks you have the ability to go in and alter the work they are doing, to ensure that they are doing work that is at their level. It was simply hard to get him back into the program.

However, with my other son, it has been wonderful! Here are some of the things I like about the program. We receive an email that reminds us that he has worksheets to do. It gives him due dates, so he knows when he needs to get his worksheets done. As a parent you can choose how many worksheets your child will be required to do each week. As your child works through the worksheets, they have the option of clicking on video tutorials or hints to read to help the solve the problem. As a parent, you can see how your child is doing. You can see how they are scoring, you can see how many hints and videos they used while completing the worksheets. If your child does not score high on the worksheets, they will be assigned a do-over sheet. And this is also noted in the parents section.

There is a reward system that is worked into the program, however, this was not needed for my kids. Meaning, they are of the age, that it simply was not what we would use to inspire learning. However, if you have younger children, this might work for you.

All in all , I feel this is a beneficial program. and the price is affordable at $10 a month, or they offer some deals if you pay for multiple months at one time.

Please visit the Crew Blog to see what my crew mates are saying about Ten Marks, and don't forget to visit Ten Marks!